MSRP:

$999

Overall Rating: 5.83

I first saw this unit at Costco and was impressed, I mean really impressed. I contacted Icon Health & Fitness and was stunned to find out that Costco was not going to pick it up for the season. Maybe the Costco buyer is soft in the head. I have never commented on buying decisions but when you see this elliptical up close and in person it will remind you of ellipticals in the $2000 price range. It does have some weaknesses like the power incline ramp, but I am seriously considering buying this unit for my own house. Icon is planning to offer this unit online, but I am sure that you will have to pay for shipping.

General Information

More Epic machines have been sold in the last few years than any specialty brand of which we are aware. The scary part for the higher-end retailers (and to us) is that we aren’t selling many parts for these machines. The Epic test model we bought 3 years ago alerted us to the fact that the 800 lb. gorilla was waking up and it is now clear that the Epic brand gives the consumer a good quality machine for a bargain basement price.

Quality / Philosophy

Epic is produced by Icon, and this factory has over 200 engineers that help craft their products. Put simply, they are the best designed treadmills in the business. In the past, they have had to be the best because they used the cheapest parts in the business. They have finally discovered that you can find some of the key component parts overseas for less and the eventual cost is less if you put more quality into the machine; so the quality of drive motors, rollers, and other key components are much higher than in the past and it still sells for a value price.

Outlook

Icon is the largest fitness equipment producer in the world with around $1 billion in sales. In terms of stability, they are the best but overall, their customer service isn’t up to the standards of some of the lower volume producers. Although they have told us they are upgrading their service, it is still a long road to what we would consider good. Although you get a value price for the product, you also get value service, so keep this in mind when buying their machines. Due to the sheer number of units they produce, we pick up support in many cases where this factory leaves off.